Four-some Harlow strikes gold again

Daniel Harlow has finished a stunning year with his fourth national title – this time at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Adelaide.

The Redcliffe State High School student, pictured above, won gold in the Under 15 Boys’ 200m hurdles on Saturday at the SA Athletics Stadium.

Representing Queensland, Harlow beat Victoria’s Miller Smith by just .05 of a second, stopping the clock at 25.63 in the final.

After a good start, it was Harlow’s strength in the last 70-80 metres which put the gold medal within his grasp.

“Miller had the lead, but my form over the last four hurdles got me ahead at the line,” said the 14-year-old. 

“The 200m is my strongest event, but I wasn’t favourite ... more of an underdog, I think.”

Confidence the key

The top two were almost one-and-a-half seconds ahead of third-placed Mark Mavrakis, from Victoria, who finished in 27.12.

“In January, if you had told me I’d have four national titles, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Harlow said.

The Redcliffe athlete has chopped around two-and-a-half seconds off his personal best time - an improvement he puts down to growing “confidence going into the hurdles”.

Harlow also won bronze in the Under 15 Boys’ 100m hurdles after qualifying fifth fastest in the heats with 13.72 seconds.

In a close final, Harlow crossed the line in 13.36 seconds, one tenth of a second behind silver medallist Miller Smith. Oliver Facer, from NSW, took the gold in 13.01 seconds.

Harlow was eighth in the Under 15 Boys’ long jump with a best of 6.03m. Blake Deery, from the ACT, won gold with 6.40m.

Stunning year

Flying down to Adelaide Harlow already had the Australian Under 15 Combined Events championship he won back in February.

The seven-discipline heptathlon went down the final event, the 1500m, where he held off Blake Deery by just over four seconds to take the national title.

Weeks later Harlow, a member of Redcliffe Little Athletics, also won double gold at the Australian Athletics Championships, in Sydney.

He took the Under 15 men’s 100m hurdles title in 13.75 seconds and 200m hurdles crown in 26.96 seconds – both personal bests at that time.

Harlow hopes to go back-to-back for Queensland in the State Combined Championships Under 15 heptathlon this weekend.

He will also move to the Gold Coast in coming weeks and from there defend his national combined title in Brisbane next April.